Protesters rally at Rockin’ Rodeo

by: Erin Waters and Michael Neglia, 02/02/2007

Guests entering Rockin’ Rodeo drawn by the “Girls Gone Wild” bus were greeted by 40 protesters Wednesday night. Some muttered “damn hippies,” while others adjusted their tops as the protesters lined the sidewalks shouting, “‘Girls Gone Wild,’ get out of our town.” Desoto senior Jaron Benjamin, a member of Men Against Violence and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, organized the rally. [Continue reading].

AIDS 101 educates public on HIV risks, prevention

by: Kirk Cooper, 04/03/2007

Men Against Violence and a local community organization joined forces Monday to inform students about how to prevent one of the world’s leading causes of death.
AIDS Services of North Texas presented “AIDS 101,” an educational presentation and panel discussion designed to address questions about how HIV is transmitted and what can be done to lessen a person’s risk of contracting the disease. [Continue reading]

‘Ignite the Night’ raises awareness of domestic violence

by: Ed Board, 04/04/2007

As various organizations around Denton gear up for “Ignite the Night,” the event formerly known as “Take Back the Night,” we here at the Daily applaud, ahead of time, those who plan to participate. [Continue reading]

1. Approach gender violence as a MEN’S issue involving men of all ages and socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. View men not only as perpetrators or possible offenders, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers.
2. If a brother, friend, classmate, or teammate is abusing his female partner — or is disrespectful or abusive to girls and women in general — don’t look the other way. If you feel comfortable doing so, try to talk to him about it. Urge him to seek help. Or if you don’t know what to do, consult a friend, a parent, a professor, or a counselor. DON’T REMAIN SILENT.
3. Have the courage to look inward. Question your own attitudes. Don’t be defensive when something you do or say ends up hurting someone else. Try hard to understand how your own attitudes and actions might inadvertently perpetuate sexism and violence, and work toward changing them.
4. If you suspect that a woman close to you is being abused or has been sexually assaulted, gently ask if you can help.
5. If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically, or sexually abusive to women, or have been in the past, seek professional help NOW.
6. Be an ally to women who are working to end all forms of gender violence. Support the work of campus-based women’s centers. Attend “Take Back the Night” rallies and other public events. Raise money for community-based rape crisis centers and battered women’s shelters. If you belong to a team or fraternity, or another student group, organize a fundraiser.
7. Recognize and speak out against homophobia and gay-bashing. Discrimination and violence against lesbians and gays are wrong in and of themselves. This abuse also has direct links to sexism (eg. the sexual orientation of men who speak out against sexism is often questioned, a conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them. This is a key reason few men do so).
8. Attend programs, take courses, watch films, and read articles and books about multicultural masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of gender violence. Educate yourself and others about how larger social forces affect the conflicts between individual men and women.
9. Don’t fund sexism. Refuse to purchase any magazine, rent any video, subscribe to any Web site, or buy any music that portrays girls or women in a sexually degrading or abusive manner. Protest sexism in the media.
10. Mentor and teach young boys about how to be men in ways that don’t involve degrading or abusing girls and women. Volunteer to work with gender violence prevention programs, including anti-sexist men’s programs. Lead by example!

Copyright 1999, Jackson Katz.
www.jacksonkatz.com
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